Arch for locomotive-boiler furnaces.



v L. s. KENNEDY. ARCH FOR LOCOMOTIVE BOILER FURNACES. APPLICAHON FILEDJULY [1. I916.

1,21 mm Patented Jan.16,1917.

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L. S. KENNEDY. ARCH FOR LOCOMOTIVE BOILER FURNACES. I APPLICATION FILEDJULY H, i916. 1 1 3 1W? Patented Jan. 16,1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- WTTEU @TAT 111 PATENT Ufwfgm LOUIS S. KENNEDY, OF SANDYRIDGE, PENNSYLVANIA.

ARCH FOR LOCOMOTIVE-BOILER FURNACES.

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Application filed July 11, 191g. Serial No. 108,639.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LOUIS S. KENNEDY, acitizen of the United States, residing at Sandy Ridge, in the county ofCenter and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Arches for Locomotive-Boiler Furnaces, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in arches for locomotive boilerfire boxes, and particularly to front arches, of that type composed ofrefractory fire bricks or blocks supported in an inclined positionadjacent to the flue sheet of the fire box upon arch supporting tubes.

One object of the present invention is to provide anarch wherein bricksare supported and held against either lateral or longitudinaldisplacement, either under the vibrations incident to the travel of thelocomotive or liability of disconnection if struck by a rabble or rakein the hands of the fireman, when the fire is being raked or the firebox cleaned out.

A further object of the invention is to provide' an arch composed offire bricks which are supported wholly by the supporting tubes andmaintained out of contact with the side walls of the fire box, thuspreventing wear upon such walls by contact with the arch bricks.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an arch in whichthe bricks are locked not only against lateral and longitudinaldisplacement, but also against verti cal displacement, and in whichbottom or forward retaining bricks are employed which give greatersecurity in holding the bricks of the body of the arch against anytendency to displacement.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an arch whichincludes bricks of novel construction and which embodies means forpermitting freertravel of the smoke and gases in passing from the firebox to the fire tubes. 7

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of thefeatures of con struction, combination and arrangement of partshereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which 2-- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinalsection through a locomotive fire box provided with a frontarchembodying my invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional or plan view on theline 22 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a horizontal transverse section through thefire box on the line 33 of Fig. 1,.looking upward, Fig. 4; is a verticaltransverse section .on the line 44 of F g. 2, Figs. 5, 6 and 7 areperspective views of one of the side or end bricks, one of thelntermediate bricks, and one ofthe bottom reta ning bricks,respectively, Fig. 8 is a vertical transverse section similar to Fig. 43nd showing a slightly modified construcion.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive, of thedrawings, 1 designates a locomotive fire box of conventionalconstruction and including the rear or fire door wall 2, front or fluesheet wall 3, side walls 4 and top or crown wall 5, with which front orflue sheet wall 3 connects the rear ends of the fire tubes 7 whichextend forward to the smoke box through the water containing and-steamgenerating spaces of the boiler. Arranged within the fire boX is aninclined front arch 8 constructed in accordance with my invention, andwhich is supported by the front downwardly and for wardly inclined endsof the arch supporting tubes 9.

The arch 8 comprises a body of refractory material, which, in theconstruction shown in Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive, is of the four-tube type,that is, of a character supported upon four equally spaced supportingtubes 9, the said arch consisting of rows of side or end bricks or slabs10, which are similar in construction, and rows of intermediate orcentral bricks or slabs 11. These rows of bricks or slabs, which aremade of fire .clay or other suitable material, form a baffle or archextending on an inclined plane at the front of the fire box to cause theproducts of combustion from the bed of fuel upon the grate to have adetermined course of flow before entering the fire tubes, in the mannerand for the purpose understood by those skilled in the art. The bricksor slabs 10 are each of substantially .oblong rectangular form and havestraight longitudinal abutment. faces 12 to squarely engage thecorresponding surfaces of adjacent side bricks and cooperating surfacesof retaining bricks 13, hereinafter fully described. The inner ends ofthe bricks 1 0 .are formed with substantially V- shaped locking recesses14, and such ends of each side row of bricks 10 rest upon the innersupporting tube 9 at that side of the longitudinal center of the firebox. The

outer ends of the bricks 10 are provided with transversely curved orarcuate surfaces 15 which terminate at their tips in close proX- imityto the adjacent side wall 4, and adjacent to their said outer ends thebricks 10 rest upon the adjacent outer supporting tube 9 and areprovided on their under sides with lugs or stop shoulders 16 engagingsaid tube and holding the bricks from outward shifting motion ordisplacement. As illustrated in the present instance, the shoulders 16are arranged on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of each brick,and from a point beyond the portion of the brick 10, which rests uponthe outer or side tube 9, the bottom surface of the outer end of thebrick is beveled off upwardly and outwardly toward the edge 15 for thedouble purpose of reducing the weight of the laterally projecting andunsupported end of the brick and to also form a guiding or deflectingsurface, as hereinafter described.

The intermediate or central bricks 11 are provided to fill the spacesbetween the side or end rows of bricks 10, and to form with said side orend rows of bricks an arch or baflie extending entirely across the firebox and filling the spaces between the supporta ing tubes and also thespaces between the outer supporting tubes and the side walls 4. Thesebricks 11 are provided with straight longitudinal sides or abutmentsurfaces 18 and with V-shaped end portions or edges 19, which latterproject into and interlock with the grooves or recesses 14 in the endsof the bricks 10, thus forming lock joints by which the bricks of therespective rows are held against casual vertical displacement. It willbe observed that the joints embodied by the interlocking portions 14 and19 lie above the intermediate supporting tubes 9, while the stopshoulders 16 engage the inner sides of the outer supporting tubes andhold the end bricks from moving or spreading laterally, by which lateralseparation or dis placement of the bricks cannot possibly occur, whileany vertical displacement can ocour only as a result of the brickscomposing the arch being lifted as a mass. It will accordingly beapparent that the bricks cannot become displaced by the jars orvibrations of the locomotive and fall down into the fire box, nor canthey be displaced accidentally on being struck by a rabble or rake inthe hands of the fireman while raking the bed of fuel on the grate, thusovercoming material objections to the construction of bricks in commonuse in other boilers of the same general character.

It will be evident that in applying cooperating bricks 10 and 11 forminga transverse row, it is necessary to dispose the side or end bricks 10in an inclined or inverted V-shaped position, to admit the central brick11 between them, and then permit the bricks to move downwardly toahorizontal position as a unit, whereby they may interlock securelyagainst upward or lateral displacement. In disconnecting bricks forrepairs or renewal, a reverse or upward movement of the side and centralbricks is necessary as will be readily understood. As all the brickscomposing the arch are also supported ontirely by the tubes and do notrest against the side walls 4, it is evident that wear upon the sidewalls due to frictional contact with the bricks from the ars orvibrations of the locomotive when in transit will be entirely avoided.

All of the bricks 10 and 11 are provided in their undersides withlongitudinally extending centrally disposed grooves or recesses 20,which not only relieve the bricks of excess weight or amount of materialbut form channels for the flow of the gases and products of combustionfrom side to side of the furnace beneath the arch, thus at all timesmaintaining the arch at a desired high temperature. The curved orarcuate surfaces 15 of the side bricks also provide intervening passages21 between the same and the side walls which permit the smoke and gasesto flow upward toward the fire tubes and provide for the oxygenation ofthe smoke and gases in a more effective manner. For the purpose ofproperly forming the lower portion of the arch and retaining theaforesaid bricks in position, a lower, forward transverse row ofretaining bricks 22 is provided. These bricks are similar in generalconstruction to the bricks 10 and 11, but are arranged in spacedrelation to provide intervening fines or passages for the upflow of theproducts of combustion and are provided in their lower sides withgrooves 23 to receive and rest upon the tubes 9, have their forwardedges 24 beveled at a suitable angle to fit against the flue sheet 3,and are provided at their rear edges with projections or flanges 25which overlap the upper surfaces of the lower transverse row of bricksof the Jody of the arch proper. These bricks 22 thus serve as retainingbricks which prevent the body of the arch formed by the bricks 10 and11. from having any sliding forward movement, and as a result of theconstructi n set forth the bricks are also firmly held in position sothat the cannot possibly be displaced and fall down into the fire box inthe event that they should be struck by a rabble 0r rake insertedthrough the usual lower drop grate in the operation of cleanin g out thefire box. In addition to the various advantages of the constructionabove set forth, it will also be apparent that the various bricks may beapplied and removed with ease and facility, thus insuring economy oftime and labor in constructing or dismantling the arch making repairs,etc.

Where the arch is of the three-tube type,

that is, supported by three supporting tubes 9 instead of four thecentral or intermediate bricks 11 may be dispensed with, and in suchevent, as clearly shown in Fig. 8, the side or end bricks will be madein rights and lefts, the side bricks 10 being of the constructionpreviously described while the companion side bricks 10 will be providedat their inner ends with V-shaped projections 19 to engage and interlockwith the V-shaped re cesses 14, whereby an interlocking connection ofthe bricks is secured, the bricks 10 and 1O being employed inconjunction with the retaining bricks 22 as and in the manner previouslydescribed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A locomotive fire boxarch comprising spaced supporting elements, and transverse rows ofbricks of refractory material resting upon and supported by saidelements entirely free and clear of the fire box at the sides of thearch, the bricks of each row having lateral abutment surfaces withinterlocking elements, arranged wholly within the plane thereof so thatthe bricks of each row are held from relative independent verticaldisplacement and means for retaining the side bricks in spaced relationfrom the side walls of the fire box.

2. A locomotive fire box arch comprising spaced supporting members,bricks of refractory material resting upon and supported by saidmembers, said bricks having outer edge portions spaced clear from thesides of the fire box and formed to provide vertical passages betweenthe edge portions of adjacent bricks and also between the same and thesides of the fire box, and having grooves in their undersides extendinguninterruptedly across the fire box between said passages, and means forretaining the side bricks in spaced relation from the side walls of thefire box.

3. A locomotive fire box arch comprising supporting elements, and bricksof refractory material resting on and supported by said elements, thebricks adjacent to the sides of the fire box having their edges formedto provide vertical flues and their undersides beveled to form slopingsurfaces leading to said fines, and said bricks having grooves in theirundersides extending across the fire box between the flues.

4. A locomotive fire box arch comprising side and intermediate supports,and a re fractory body of bricks resting on said supports, said bricksconsisting of outer or side bricks resting upon the outer supports at apoint between their outer and inner edges and provided with projectionsengaging said supports to hold them from relative lateral movement, andintermediate bricks disposed above the intermediate supports, theadjacent faces of the side and intermediate bricks being provided withinterlocking connections, said connections serving to hold the bricksagainst upward movement under pressure.

5. A locomotive fire box arch comprising spaced supporting elements, androws of fire bricks supported upon said elements, entirely free andclear of the fire box at the sides of the arch, said bricks being provided with means to engage the supporting elements to hold the arch fromsidewise displacement and having interlocking connections within theplane thereof for holding said bricks against upward displacement.

6. A locomotive fire box arch comprising spaced supporting elements,bricks of re fractory material resting upon and supported by saidelements free and clear of the fire box at the sides of the arch, saidbricks being provided with means to engage the supporting elements tohold the arch from sidewise displacement and having interlockingconnections to hold them from upward. displacement under pressure, themarginal edges of the bricks adjacent to the sides of the arch beingformed to provide vertical passages and having their lower surfacessloping to their extremities and provided with grooves in their undersides extending across the fire box and intersecting said slopingsurfaces.

7. A locomotive fire box arch comprising supporting elements arrangedwithin the fire box, and a body of refractory material supported by saidelements, said body of refractory material comprising bricks havingvouter edges spaced from the sides of the fire box and forming verticalpassages and having their inner edges united by interlocking connectionslocated within the'plane thereof and holding said bricks againstvertical displacement, said bricks being further provided with groovesin their undersides extending across the fire box and intersecting saidpassages, and bottom retaining bricks having beveled faces restingagainst the tube sheet of the fire box and flanges lapping the adjacentedges of the first-named bricks.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS S. KENNEDY. Witnesses C. C. HINns, BENNETT S. JONES.

topics of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. U.

